Method of recapping vehicle tires



Aug. 14, 1945. A. STEPHENS ET Al. 2,382,269

METHOD OF RECAPPING VEHICLE TIRES IN V EN TORS,

Lasa. STEPHEN;

Iver: W. Lauf-RER BY- mronmsv- Patented Aug. lll, 1945 UNITEDg ,smTEsl PATENT @OFFICE i METHOD F EECAPPING VEHICLE TIRES Leslie A. Stephens, Hudson, and Iven W. Lederen i Lakewood, Ohio Application July 19, 1944, Sferial No. 545,598

6 Claims. (Cl. 154-14) o u l i back'has been applied, it .isf nowftoo late to cor- 4 This invention vrelates to a method of recapping or .retreading ,worn` pneumatic `vehicle tires.

While the invention is capable of use with tires of any `size or form, it has more particular relation to the larger sizes of tires used, for example, upon trucks or otherheavyvehicles.

, According to thebestmethods now in use the to growii differently; Forexample, if two such more or less a matter of the judgment orpersonal equation of the individualoperator. Of course, enough is removedto get tothe bottom of the worst cracks, crevices and Weak spots. But beyond that the end point of removal is hit or miss, with a uniform rough surface which will take the cement as the sole object. Then a layer of so called vcamel-back (raw rubberor rubber composition) is applied vto the tread portion and is cemented in place. After applying the camelback, measurements ofthe tire4 are taken, such as of its over-all diameter and its diametrical girth. With these measurements in hand a mold is selected or assembled whose dimensions are Within a predetermined range of variation tolerance from those of the tire. Sometimes, the over-all diameter of the tire is `measured before bufling it down. The tire is then placed in such mold, the tube is `inflated to full load-pressure or more, and the parts are vulcanized or cured under heat for the required period. e

Such methods have never been entirely satisfactory `in practice, chiefly because in the end, the.

to be treated and those` of the mold cavity in which the treatment is produced. If the tire is toolarge its walls buckle inwardly and form objectionable internal ribs or projections, with distortion of the cords causing premature failure,

and if too small the rubber does not entirely ll the cavity, and therefore is not fully cured under proper pressure.` Since the stripping' or abrading operation has been completed and the camelrect any variation and secure a more close fit.A

`These prior methods also do not take account of the fact that two identical tiresmade` at the same time `by the same manufactureigand suffering` identical wear requiring retreading, are found tires, deflated, are inflated 'to thesameload bearing pressure, one maybe foundV to increase and the other to decrease in over-,all diameter, with accompanying decrease and increase, `respective` ly in the over-all thickness 'across the sidewalls .or bellies.,4 This is due to varying effects in use upon the cords, tothe effects of over ination upon `one tire and under inflation upon the other,

'or to other causes'producing differenteffectsin the two'tires. ,They,becomesoiindividual that two tires of the same sizefniarking coming infor retread purposes, but 'which lgrow differently should notbe stripped' or ground down to like cross sectional contour 'and then be retreaded in the'same mold. They must be treated individuallyand cured in different molds.

, The present inventionhas for its object to `im` prove priorimethods of ,retreading or recapping worn tires in such manner as to produce an accurate fit of the preparedjtire assembly in the mold cavityin which itis cured, thus 'avoiding buckling or spongy,` soft "orfiirlcured` rubber, ,andk insuring maximum'wear resisting ability and vfull life of the product, particularly because the method preserves any special form `to which the tire has grown in use, and avoids distortion` by any operation vwhich, tends ,to mold it back to its `original shape. f

Another object is to provide an improved methodin which the tire to Ybe` retreaded is'cn'efullyand closely` tailored, `as it were, to a, close and accurate fit ina preselected `mold,havinga cavity whose size, form and shape are"calculatedfand chosen Yto `produce the finest product out of the particular Atire to befret'readem considered individuauy. t

Still anotherobjlect to'provide an improved ,method the `Working or operating steps in` which are of such character `that they may bedistributed between andfpefrformedby different operators, one of whomds'highly `skilled and paid ac-- cordingly; who superior judgment Ais fully qualified` t0 Preselect `or direct the assembly of the mold in which the uringoperation is tobe performed and then i lay down the lines along which the tire may be tailored to fit the mold cavity, and the other of`,whom a laborerwitl'rless.` skill and judgment, andl usually at lower wages,

. performs the more arduous manual labor of completing the grinding or stripping and other operations.

Finally, another object is to provide an improved method of this kind which automatically takes care of and compensates for any variations in growth in any one or more of the tire dimensions, between tires originally of the same form and size,, and tailorsj each tire,"individually, to a particular mold in which, when supplied with the appropriate camel-back, it is restored to usefulness with full retention of the particular forni or shape to which it has stretched or lgrown in.

use, and with the advantage of avoiding the dis-- tortion necessary to return ittoits originalOrm, and which method also preservestrue shoulder form and an intermediate archedtread calcu-l thus obtain maximum useful life. I f

rFurther .objectsof `the invention in part lated to take the wear off from the shoulders and hereinafter. .L c k .1n .the draWing',Fig. ljis acrosssection through a newpneurnatic tire;

Fig. 2 is asimilar View ora kwere nre, iuris:

vtrating the .formation of certain slotstherein;

'Fig. 3 is a perspective View, illustrating certain girth measurements; land `Fig. 4 is a sectional view,l somewhat diagram-1,

matic, showing a tire inflatedI in arnold ready for the curing operation. 'j

Referring to the drawing, Fig." llrepresents la new pneumatic .truck tire, inflated upon a Vstand-v` 'ard flanged vrim l0,as inuseupon the road.

Within the .tire isi-,he usual tube n. The tire] itself includes the inner bodyV I2 separated by the cord containing 4breaker'jstrip jl3 from the outer` cover 'lll having ah thickened arched tread-portion I5 lying between ,theshoulder portions i6 where the tread vmerges into the 'side walls Y,or bellies terminating in wire' reinforced beads"v i8, as is usual. In normal use of such atire, inflated properly, wear may 'be vdiagrammatically indi-- cated .by -the several dotted lines A. Aftfirlst it is heavier atthe center'of the tread. But as time goes on lthe wearfextends laterally until in the enditfmay include the shoulders yl kand permit application ofthe load to them, contrary to good are obvious and in part willappearmore' inj'deta'il' tire practice, Vwhich 'should always protect these shoulders by keepingA thernloff from the ground,

to thus lengthen' tire life,A and which practice` side walls or, bellies, or in other dimensions, onv

account `of vvariation in growth,

The worn tire, as it `comes in, is first equipped with a tube'and is mounted upon a rim identical with or like' that on'which it is carried in4 road use, and is inilated to a material pressure,

, such as the operating pressure recommended by the tire manufacturer; say'lOOv pounds or something short o f that, to bring the tire to'or;nearr its cross sectional contour 4when in use. -In this condition its over-all `j`dia`meter 'is s measured with suitable calipers or other measuringdevice. This measurement is of the distancefrom a point in the center ,of the tread to a like point diametri- Accordingly, our improved Vmethodv cally opposite on the 'otherside ofthe centralA axis,v 'From this Ldimension -theoperator-Qis en-` abled 'to'- preselect, from tables (notshown) prepared forthe purpose, *the particular 'mold'matrices i9, Fig. 4, that will be large enough to permit ready insertion of the tire into the mold, with minimum clearance, after the removal of any necessary amount of rubber from the tread and `cover and the application thereto of the appro- `In the prepared tables, before referred to, each ,set .or `pair. vof matrices, suitably identified as by number, is shown as suitable for use With tires :having a given over-.all diameter, and in connectionwwith each pair includes sub identification 0i'- various spacers or combinations of spacers, by 'the use of which with such pair the mold cavity 1 'maybevaried in its dimension across the tread to accommodate variations inv that direction.

,h u'sthev operator, after measuring over-'al1 diametcr and tread width, preselects that pair of mold matrices having the smallest diameter equal to or a little I,greater than Lthat-o'fthe `tire being retreaded, after vthe 'remo'va'ilorf some `rubber in stripping, land the application ofcamel-Vback of ythe proper thickness and 4widthgamtl a spacer or spacersr according to -themeasured tread width.` Insome cases, of 1course,no spacer whatever may be necessary, as -will bereadilyunderstood.

f AIn isaid `tables, opposite the Vindication for each matrix set, and for each spacer' ory spacer comlbination,fwhere any'is used, is ani-indication of tire girth, to wit, the length of a Iflexible inextensible steel or other tape wrapped completely around the tire and von its yopposite faces extending diametricallyacross its centralopening, as atfiB,` Fig-3, or `may be the girthcf the'tulbular form, including the rim', onone -side only `of 'the have been' obtained and selected as the -result -of experience in practice and measurement with 4resp'ectI tol each mold or-mold combination. rHaving preselected a -dente mold matr-ix pair, with or without a spacer or ,spacers-esmas] be necessary, this girth measurement, determined from the aforesaidtables, -becomes the line or landmark along `which the tire-'is now tailored to exactly tt'he moldcavity, by-procedur'e as follows:

.The tire. is rst prepared'in .such manner .as to enable .accurate girth measurement to be taken. because :as the tirer-comes in from the road, irregularities, suclrasr surface vgrooves or coniiguration` of vthe Itread, variations in'A the wear at the shoulders, or .evenxthe shoulderiorm itself, usuallymake suchaccurate measurement diicult or impossible. With the tire inflated ..fon'a rim, the skilled -operator who preselected the mold parts.,' oraarnother .of equal skil1,cuts,abrades with a raspjor otherwisebuffs or,` forms eur diagonal shallow Slots 25,1Fig-i2, through itslshoulders, .two each atdiametrically-opposite selected points on the ltire at .places in .theshoulders fwhere there are no grooves or channels.v 'Ifhesei` slo'ts are formed gcarefully, removing only Aenough rubber so thaty when `the steeljtape is placed-around the tire @geleid inf-theage it willffslesely; 1111s. the.

selectionl o f vlthe mold? lset and anotherfmust be chosen;- probablywithdifferentmatriceslordierkshown in the tables indicates how much rubber must be removed to bring the tire to the proper form'- for further treatment.

The experiencedpskilled"operator-nowproceeds to" remove that rubber, but onlyin the-zone of the slots before referred to. -Thefoperation is carefully performed, manually, usually `with `-a rasp, with girth measurement repeated `from time to timeto be sure to avoid removing too much Only enough is removed at the center of the tread to secure the proper over-all diameter.' Usually the operator joins the two diagonal slots with an intermediate narrow trench 2G hav.` ing its bottom arched lengthwise,` or acrossthe tire to produce an 4arched tread `on the finished product. This trench joins the diagonal slots-` at points 21 slightly nearer the center of the `tread than arethershoulders.` Usually it isnecessary also to `further deepen the slots 25. Y f

The result of this operation is to establish al base line or landmark, by girth measurement, at the bottom of the slots 25, 26, which is now fused as a guide in grinding down orotherwise remov-` ing the rubber around the rest of the 'tire p'eriphery. i if In the method so fan described, theforr'nation of the diagonal slots 25 aheadof the formation of the cross slots or trenchesi 2ifhas the advantage that almost immediately bytheformation of the diagonal slots 25 yand with the removal of a min-1-` imumamount of rubber, the steell tape may be made4 to very -closely fit and hug the tire in taking the first girth measurement. `The4 operator therefore can proceed from that point, gradu-- ally forming and deepenir'ig'fthe` slots 2B, until the girth is reduced to theproper valueas determined from the tables.

However,'some experiencedoperators find it more convenient 4to form the trenches 26 first, as follows: f Let us assume that a 9.00 `x 20 truck tire comes in for retread which, inflated on a rim to ithe recommended pressure of 70 y pounds isfound-to measure 38% inches in overalhdiameter; by cal-` iper measurement. The tread width `is 71/2 inches.

Withthese measurements of over-all'diameter' and tread width, and by reference to the tables; the operator knows, or learns, that the `tire must be retreaded in a 40 inch matrix having the necessary spacers to produce the proper tread width. Also, knowing that the camel-back`for Juse in this tire is 1/2 inch thick, he knows that before applying the camel-back thetire must be cut down to an over-all diameter of 381/2 inches, which will leave just enough cle-arance, after'the camel-back is applied, to insert the tire into the mold cavity. `l-Le further knows that with this particular mold combination the girth diameter of the mold cavity`is"9l% inches and that the girth diameter of the tire, taken as at B, before applying the camel-back, should be two inches less than this or 89% inches,

Accordingly, the operator proceeds, at two diametrically opposed points on the tire, as before, to form the cross slots 26 witha rasp. I-Ie referred' to; *These points .21, na Ainch tread would bei 6.1/2 inches apart. `\'I'hen,\from`Y` the points 21,`he formsthe diagonalfgrooves 25. The entire operation,` including formation of slots 26 and grooves 25 is performed carefully and progressively, removingf a `little` rubber l'at a time, with girth measurements repeatedfrom4 time to timelduring the* process until the girth' measurement has been: reduced to the required exact valu'e,t89% inches in this linstancal 1 Having. formed. his two sets of slots 25,26, by eitherrnethod described, `the skilled Voperator has applied torthe tire necessaryzlandmarks by which it l now` may be accurately tailored to exactly fit the one particular mold assembly `preselected forl it. This operation is performed by relatively unskilledlabor. w r i b l The tire, onthe same rimyand iniiated to recommended pressure, as before, and also prefer-l ably while rotatably mountedzfu'pon a flxedraxis; is turned or buffeddown; all the way arou'ndf` to:l the contour establishedby `the-bottoms of the` slots 25, 26.` This issomewhatlike a lathe op-l' n eration, but usually is .performed with a-power driven abrading tool.. `Its effect is to remove all. surplus rubber which, in therotating tire liesl outwardly from theaxis` beyond the bottomof the slots,

Next, a strip of' camel-back, ofthe proper width and thicknesslis.laid in place on and is cemented: or otherwise secured'tothe tread. If cemented* the cement is permitted `to dry for whateverfpe-` riod of time is necessary. ,The size of camel--` back stock, both thickness and width, is usuallyl indicated in theaforesaiditables for and opposite to each matrix'combination. `Itsfwidthwwill be` greater .than the length of the arched .portions of the slots 26.by twice the thickness of the camelback, `In. other" words, along each` edge ofthe camel-.back itl exends outwardly beyondthe points.` 2] a distance equal -towitstown thickness, or approximately so. That-1; iS *the reason why; l ini forming the slots 25, 26, they, are made tofjoin.-i atpoints `2'I somewhat shortof theshoulders,i where1theslots 25 begin` to incline downwardly to merge with the side wallsof thetire. l

With the .camel-backlcernented in` place, and,`

`with the tire eitherdeatedor inated with rely atively low'presura; the tireis ,now insertedintd the mold, or between the matrices thereonv thel mold is closed;` and its parts are` clamped# tow' gethenand the pressure within'the tire is raised l' Vdistributed as to prevent buckling or the formation of ribs or projectionsjnternally, as before described. -Moreover the tire has been measured and fitted to one particular preselected mold cavity, while inflated and on a rim and with the same shape and form to which it has stretched or grownin service. No allowance whatever is made for tolerance variation. The t is exact. Consequently the tire now may be vulcanized in that form and thus preserve it and all its advantages. There is no tendency to distort the prepared carcass by forcibly shaping it to a mold cavi-ty whlchit does not t, with consequent cord distortion which might cause premature failure. Inthis ,condition the tire assembly is subjected withA heat to the curing or vulcanizing operation `for the appropriate period and is then removed VBy .this method. each tire is individually ex-` actly fitted to va :particular mold `consisting of `two or more matrix parts, with or without spacers, the4 mold assembly ,being preselected for the particulantire. The tailoringoperation has been conducted by removal of surplus material to an exact endpoint determined by the girth measurement ,utilized when .the aforesaidslo'ts are produced or formed. Consequently the retread becomesan integral Vpartof the tireas a whole, withvits `cured rubber under uniform strain and fully cured throughout, assuring maximum life from thenished product. The iinished product has a cross sectional contour lgenerally similar tothe original tire, butrexactly like `the special contour to which it has `grown in service, and preserves its shoulder formand arched tread. The method enables the more important steps to be performed by highly skilled labor, with the more arduous tasks` performed by unskilled labor, thus reducing the cost. Both. spongy rubber and buckling are entirely avoided and long tire life is assured.

. The invention,of course, maybe carried out or put .vinto use with or in connection with any suit-l Width and over-all diameter of the worntire while under materialpressure on -a rim, thereby to predetermine its width and 'itsAover-all diame ter after necessary fbufling, selecting a mold having a cavity whose width and over-all diameter are equal to or slightly greater than Ithose lof the measured tire after bung vand therapplication of Camelback of the required thickness, buing the tire to `reduce its 'girth dimension to closelycorrespond to that of the cavity of the preselected mold, with due allowance for the Camelback, ap-

plying thecamelback, inserting the tireinto the the tire while vunder mold cavity, and curing pressure in the mold. i

*2, `A'Inethod of the character described inl claim l, fin which, after measurement'of thewidthl and over-all tire diameter and selection of the mold,- two .narrow cross slots are formed' in the tire aty diametrcally opposite points -thereon'to 'such depth and form that the tire girthfdimension atA the bottoms of the slots corresponds closelyzto'that merely Vfor purposes of il-` of the cavity of the selected mold, with due allowance for the Camelback, and the tire is then buffed to reduce its girth dimension around its entire periphery to that at the bottoms of the slots. Y

3. A method of the character describedin claim 1, in which, after measurement of the width and over-all tire diameter and selection of the mold, two narrow cross slots are formed in the tire, at diametrically opposite points thereon, by progressive action with girth measurement repeated from time to time, until said slots reach such depth and form that the tire girth dimension at the bottoms of the slots corresponds closely to that of the cavity of the selected mold, with due allowance for the 4Camelback, and the tire is then ing a cavity whose Width and over-all diameterv are equal to or rslightly greater than those of the measured tire after' bufng and application ofcamelback of the required thickness, and buiiing the tire to reduce its girth dimension to Closely correspond to that of the cavity of the selected mold, with due allowance for the Camelback.

5. A method of the character described in claimv 4, in which, after measurement of the width and over-al1 tire diameter and selection ofthe mold,

two narrow cross slots vare formed in the tire at diametrically opposite points thereon, to such depth and form that the tire girth dimension at the Ibottoms of the slots corresponds closely to that of the cavity of the selected mold, with due allowance for the camelback, and the tire is then buffed to reduce its girth dimension around itsentire periphery to that at the bottoms of the slots.

6. A method of the character described in claim 4, in which, after measurement of the width and over-all tire diameter. and selection of the mold, two narrow cross slots are formed in the tire, at

diametrically opposite points thereon, by progressive action with girth measurement repeated from time to time, until said slots reach such depth and form that the entire girth dimension at the bottoms of the slots corresponds lclosely to that of the cavityof the selected mold, with due allowance for the Camelback, and the tire is then buied to reduce its girth dimension around its entire periphery to that at the bottom of the slots. f LESLIE A. STEPHENS.

IVEN W. LEDERER. 

